Monday, May 28, 2018

Update on Elementary School Building Project and Related Topics

The PGO would like our school community to stay informed about the progress towards addressing elementary school building issues and making capital improvements. 

The dialogue surrounding the Amherst Elementary School Building Project surfaced multiple enrollment challenges facing the district.  


On June 14, 2017, the Amherst School Committee voted to form the Enrollment Working Group (EWG), which includes community members, families, and staff members, to investigate challenges and develop potential suggestions for consideration of the Superintendent. The EWG decided to form five subgroups: Socio-Economic Balance, Special Education Programs, Declining Enrollment, Preschool Access, and Dual Language Immersion.  


After working summer 2017 through winter 2018, the EWG subgroups each reported their findings to the Superintendent and Amherst School Committee. At the March 14, 2018 Amherst School Committee meeting, Superintendent Morris presented his formal response to the EWG findings. Information regarding the work of the EWG, it’s subgroups’ findings, and the Superintendent’s response can be found here.
The resulting work on exploring Dual Language Programming can be found in the link. Click here for an 
excellent production by Amherst Media on "Window into ARPS: Dual Language Program Presentation," hosted by Superintendent Michael Morris.